Rindy's Devotional Tidbits
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The Spiritual Cafe is pleased to share her daily facebook thoughts. It is our hope that her reflections will be a service to you on your spiritual growth journey.
Week Fourteen Archives
Year 5; Day 92 I Know
I have plans made. Next month I will be going to visit my friends and family in the States. I will see my roommate from college and we have made some plans for things to do together. Then brother and I will go to Ohio to see some childhood friends. I will also spend a few weeks visiting with my parents while staying with my brother and his wife. I look forward to eating out, going to antique malls, laughing with my parents, going to church, and seeing friends that I have made since I visit so regularly. I can make plans but I can't guarantee they will come about. I won't know for sure until the time comes. I can only plan and then hope. Tuesday coming is suppose to be our last week of the Beth Moore Bible study. Afterwards we are planning on going out to eat. Except there is a storm coming for Monday-Tuesday. So I put out feelers for a back-up plan for Thursday only to find out there is a second storm predicted for Wednesday-Thursday. The weather is not too concerned about my plans or anyone else's. Since doing this Beth Moore Bible study, "Breaking Free", I feel like I have gotten to know God better. I have a greater awareness and sense of His very personal love, interest, and care for each of us...for me. And it has made some familiar Scriptures become more real. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord..." (Jeremiah 29:11) That has been rolling around in my head for a week. It's the word "know" that keeps pulsating. I know my plans for the States. But my knowing is subject to a myriad of unknowns. I won't know if they will happen until they do. In fact, my plans for Tuesday are uncertain as are the back-up plans. I won't ever really know that they can and will happen until the time comes. But God "knows" the plans He has for me. He knows as in exactly what will happen and when and how. There is no uncertainty, no wait-and-see, no hoping. "What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do." (Isaiah 46:11) And I trust His plans...more and more I am learning to trust because He knows with absolute certainty and He loves me with an unfailing love. Today is Sunday. I can rest in His "knowing". So can you.
I have plans made. Next month I will be going to visit my friends and family in the States. I will see my roommate from college and we have made some plans for things to do together. Then brother and I will go to Ohio to see some childhood friends. I will also spend a few weeks visiting with my parents while staying with my brother and his wife. I look forward to eating out, going to antique malls, laughing with my parents, going to church, and seeing friends that I have made since I visit so regularly. I can make plans but I can't guarantee they will come about. I won't know for sure until the time comes. I can only plan and then hope. Tuesday coming is suppose to be our last week of the Beth Moore Bible study. Afterwards we are planning on going out to eat. Except there is a storm coming for Monday-Tuesday. So I put out feelers for a back-up plan for Thursday only to find out there is a second storm predicted for Wednesday-Thursday. The weather is not too concerned about my plans or anyone else's. Since doing this Beth Moore Bible study, "Breaking Free", I feel like I have gotten to know God better. I have a greater awareness and sense of His very personal love, interest, and care for each of us...for me. And it has made some familiar Scriptures become more real. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord..." (Jeremiah 29:11) That has been rolling around in my head for a week. It's the word "know" that keeps pulsating. I know my plans for the States. But my knowing is subject to a myriad of unknowns. I won't know if they will happen until they do. In fact, my plans for Tuesday are uncertain as are the back-up plans. I won't ever really know that they can and will happen until the time comes. But God "knows" the plans He has for me. He knows as in exactly what will happen and when and how. There is no uncertainty, no wait-and-see, no hoping. "What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do." (Isaiah 46:11) And I trust His plans...more and more I am learning to trust because He knows with absolute certainty and He loves me with an unfailing love. Today is Sunday. I can rest in His "knowing". So can you.
Year 5; Day 93 Never Lost
I watched a show yesterday. Woven into the story was the leaving of a female character who was secretly loved by the lead. As she was getting ready to leave, he came running up with a small gift for her. When she opened it later, it contained a note that said, "In case you need to find your way home." In the box was a ring with a little compass where the gem would be. She was leaving her home and all that was familiar. She was going to a new place, a new job, a new adventure...the unknown. Symbolically, the lead was letting her know that she would never be lost. She could always find her way home and to him. We are never lost either, if we know Christ. He has promised never to leave us. God called Abraham to leave all that was familiar to him and go to a land that He would show Him. He was Abraham's compass. When the Hebrews were in slavery in Egypt, God spoke to Moses. He promised to lead them back to the land that had been promised to them through Abraham. God lead them as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. He was a compass to a vast multitude of people and animals. The Wisemen from the East followed a star that lead them right to the place where Jesus was so they could worship Him and bring gifts. God was a compass through the dark nights. And He is our compass. Psalm 48:14 says, "For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end." To the end. To the end of an experience. To the end of a chapter. To the end of our life. We are never without direction, never without guidance, never without a true north. We have Christ, the Holy Spirit, and God's written Word. Today is Monday. He is our unfailing compass.
I watched a show yesterday. Woven into the story was the leaving of a female character who was secretly loved by the lead. As she was getting ready to leave, he came running up with a small gift for her. When she opened it later, it contained a note that said, "In case you need to find your way home." In the box was a ring with a little compass where the gem would be. She was leaving her home and all that was familiar. She was going to a new place, a new job, a new adventure...the unknown. Symbolically, the lead was letting her know that she would never be lost. She could always find her way home and to him. We are never lost either, if we know Christ. He has promised never to leave us. God called Abraham to leave all that was familiar to him and go to a land that He would show Him. He was Abraham's compass. When the Hebrews were in slavery in Egypt, God spoke to Moses. He promised to lead them back to the land that had been promised to them through Abraham. God lead them as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. He was a compass to a vast multitude of people and animals. The Wisemen from the East followed a star that lead them right to the place where Jesus was so they could worship Him and bring gifts. God was a compass through the dark nights. And He is our compass. Psalm 48:14 says, "For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end." To the end. To the end of an experience. To the end of a chapter. To the end of our life. We are never without direction, never without guidance, never without a true north. We have Christ, the Holy Spirit, and God's written Word. Today is Monday. He is our unfailing compass.
Year 5; Day 94 Have You Heard?
I did my last lesson of homework in our "Breaking Free" workbook by Beth Moore yesterday. She asked us to reread Isaiah 40:28-31 slowly. I was tempted to just go on and read her comments without reading the Scriptures as they are familiar to me. I am glad I didn't skip over the reading. "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God; the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom." (verse 28) The everlasting God. Everlasting. What a powerful, marvelous word. I love that the words used to describe God are beyond humans...everlasting, unfailing, forever, always, unchanging. And He is the Creator of all, everything. Nothing exists that doesn't bear His mark, His creativity, His permission. He doesn't have to check with anybody, brush up on anything, or read a manual. Right to the ends of the earth, He is in control. Last night I was buzzing around (well, arthritic buzzing) and I suddenly got extremely tired. I didn't feel I could do another thing. I had to just give up and go to bed. Not God. He will not grow tired or weary. No matter what or when or where, He is available, willing, and able. He has no physical, mental, or emotional limitations. No three strikes and you're out philosophy. No overdrawn fees. No one can fathom His understanding. No one. Not Einstein. Not Hawkings. No one comes close. We can't fathom...comprehend...grasp in any way His mind...His understanding. His understanding of nature, of scientific principles, of the plant and animal kingdoms, of humans, of history, of the future, of His plans. "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak." (verse 29) What a promise to each of us. And it is God who does this. The strength and power doesn't come from farther down the chain. It comes from Him. From the everlasting One, the Creator of all, the One who never gets tired and Whose understanding is beyond comprehension. Today is Tuesday. No middlemen for His children. We can go straight to the top!
I did my last lesson of homework in our "Breaking Free" workbook by Beth Moore yesterday. She asked us to reread Isaiah 40:28-31 slowly. I was tempted to just go on and read her comments without reading the Scriptures as they are familiar to me. I am glad I didn't skip over the reading. "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God; the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom." (verse 28) The everlasting God. Everlasting. What a powerful, marvelous word. I love that the words used to describe God are beyond humans...everlasting, unfailing, forever, always, unchanging. And He is the Creator of all, everything. Nothing exists that doesn't bear His mark, His creativity, His permission. He doesn't have to check with anybody, brush up on anything, or read a manual. Right to the ends of the earth, He is in control. Last night I was buzzing around (well, arthritic buzzing) and I suddenly got extremely tired. I didn't feel I could do another thing. I had to just give up and go to bed. Not God. He will not grow tired or weary. No matter what or when or where, He is available, willing, and able. He has no physical, mental, or emotional limitations. No three strikes and you're out philosophy. No overdrawn fees. No one can fathom His understanding. No one. Not Einstein. Not Hawkings. No one comes close. We can't fathom...comprehend...grasp in any way His mind...His understanding. His understanding of nature, of scientific principles, of the plant and animal kingdoms, of humans, of history, of the future, of His plans. "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak." (verse 29) What a promise to each of us. And it is God who does this. The strength and power doesn't come from farther down the chain. It comes from Him. From the everlasting One, the Creator of all, the One who never gets tired and Whose understanding is beyond comprehension. Today is Tuesday. No middlemen for His children. We can go straight to the top!
Year 5; Day 95 Twisted Together
A little while ago I saw a clip of a keeper in a young panda habitat. The keeper was trying to tidy up the area and the small panda kept clinging to his leg just like a little child would do. The keeper would take a step or two and then pick upon the panda and put him up high in a tree or on a ledge. Almost immediately the panda would scoot, tumble, climb, or scramble down and wrap himself around the leg of the keeper once again. The keeper would take a couple steps with the little panda cling-on and then repeat the whole process of picking him off, putting him somewhere else, and trying to work. The panda always came back. Maybe he wanted to be close to the keeper, maybe he liked the leg-ride, maybe he was scared and felt safest attached to the keeper. He certainly was persistent. In our closing lesson in "Breaking Free", Beth Moore asked us to reread Isaiah 40:28-31. In verse 31 Isaiah says, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength..." (KJV) When I think of "wait" I think of standing around, maybe doing nothing. But the words "wait upon" in the Hebrew have more meaning than just hanging around. It means "to bind together (by twisting), to be gathered together, to meet, to expect, to be enduring, trust." How do we "wait" upon the Lord? Do we sometimes "wait" at a distance? We see but we aren't involved, not a participant, just an observer. Maybe we sometimes "wait" a bit closer. That way we can make up our minds if we want a more involved waiting. We are close enough to move in but not so close that we can't back-off. Or do we wait right in the thick of things? A side-by-side waiting. A twisted together waiting...like the panda wrapped around the keeper's leg. When we "wait upon" the Lord with that kind of enduring trust and confidence, He promises to renew our strength...because we are not alone. He will carry us and unlike the panda's keeper, God will not keep trying to detach us. He will simply hold us closer and allow His strength to flow into our weakness. Today is Wednesday. Just when I think I can't learn anything else about the word "wait", He adds another layer.
A little while ago I saw a clip of a keeper in a young panda habitat. The keeper was trying to tidy up the area and the small panda kept clinging to his leg just like a little child would do. The keeper would take a step or two and then pick upon the panda and put him up high in a tree or on a ledge. Almost immediately the panda would scoot, tumble, climb, or scramble down and wrap himself around the leg of the keeper once again. The keeper would take a couple steps with the little panda cling-on and then repeat the whole process of picking him off, putting him somewhere else, and trying to work. The panda always came back. Maybe he wanted to be close to the keeper, maybe he liked the leg-ride, maybe he was scared and felt safest attached to the keeper. He certainly was persistent. In our closing lesson in "Breaking Free", Beth Moore asked us to reread Isaiah 40:28-31. In verse 31 Isaiah says, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength..." (KJV) When I think of "wait" I think of standing around, maybe doing nothing. But the words "wait upon" in the Hebrew have more meaning than just hanging around. It means "to bind together (by twisting), to be gathered together, to meet, to expect, to be enduring, trust." How do we "wait" upon the Lord? Do we sometimes "wait" at a distance? We see but we aren't involved, not a participant, just an observer. Maybe we sometimes "wait" a bit closer. That way we can make up our minds if we want a more involved waiting. We are close enough to move in but not so close that we can't back-off. Or do we wait right in the thick of things? A side-by-side waiting. A twisted together waiting...like the panda wrapped around the keeper's leg. When we "wait upon" the Lord with that kind of enduring trust and confidence, He promises to renew our strength...because we are not alone. He will carry us and unlike the panda's keeper, God will not keep trying to detach us. He will simply hold us closer and allow His strength to flow into our weakness. Today is Wednesday. Just when I think I can't learn anything else about the word "wait", He adds another layer.
Year 5; Day 96 Wait
The word "wait" has been an important word for me. It has been a theme word for several years and I know the Lord has used it to teach me lessons on patience and trust and faithfulness. The lessons aren't finished. I was thinking yesterday how people wait with varying degrees of involvement. When Jesus was arrested all his disciples fled. He had told them several times exactly what would happen and not one of them stayed with Him as the events unfolded just as He had told. His disciples weren't even there to bury him. The religious leaders knew what Jesus said about rising on the third day and so they posted guards at the tomb. Not because they believed in the resurrection, but in case the disciples tried to steal the body and say He had risen. Hah! They needn't have bothered as the disciples had fallen to pieces without their leader. They weren't a threat to anyone. The guards had to wait at the tomb but they weren't waiting with any expectation. Unlike the Pharisees and the disciples, they were close in proximity but not in heart or mind. They weren't waiting for Jesus to rise either. It boggles the mind that Jesus' closest friends for three years were not at least waiting at the tomb on the third day. They had witnessed first hand Jesus raising others from the dead, healing blind eyes, deaf ears and leprosy, driving out demons, walking on water, and making a meal for one stretch to satisfy thousands. Why did they doubt Christ would keep His word about His own resurrection? Why did they doubt the power and authority He had from God? Why did they distance themselves with fear and doubt and unbelief? They weren't waiting with any expectation. They weren't waiting with any involvement...no being "bound together as in twisting", no "enduring together". The Pharisees waited at a distance to make sure the body didn't get stolen, the guards waited to make sure the disciples didn't come to steal Jesus, and the disciples were too scared to wait for anything. Nobody was there waiting with a believing heart. Nobody was there waiting in expectation. Nobody was there waiting in faith. I don't want to miss out because I waited too far away to participate, or with the wrong attitude or hampered by fear. Today is Thursday. "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." (Psalm 27:14)
Year 5; Day 96 Wait
The word "wait" has been an important word for me. It has been a theme word for several years and I know the Lord has used it to teach me lessons on patience and trust and faithfulness. The lessons aren't finished. I was thinking yesterday how people wait with varying degrees of involvement. When Jesus was arrested all his disciples fled. He had told them several times exactly what would happen and not one of them stayed with Him as the events unfolded just as He had told. His disciples weren't even there to bury him. The religious leaders knew what Jesus said about rising on the third day and so they posted guards at the tomb. Not because they believed in the resurrection, but in case the disciples tried to steal the body and say He had risen. Hah! They needn't have bothered as the disciples had fallen to pieces without their leader. They weren't a threat to anyone. The guards had to wait at the tomb but they weren't waiting with any expectation. Unlike the Pharisees and the disciples, they were close in proximity but not in heart or mind. They weren't waiting for Jesus to rise either. It boggles the mind that Jesus' closest friends for three years were not at least waiting at the tomb on the third day. They had witnessed first hand Jesus raising others from the dead, healing blind eyes, deaf ears and leprosy, driving out demons, walking on water, and making a meal for one stretch to satisfy thousands. Why did they doubt Christ would keep His word about His own resurrection? Why did they doubt the power and authority He had from God? Why did they distance themselves with fear and doubt and unbelief? They weren't waiting with any expectation. They weren't waiting with any involvement...no being "bound together as in twisting", no "enduring together". The Pharisees waited at a distance to make sure the body didn't get stolen, the guards waited to make sure the disciples didn't come to steal Jesus, and the disciples were too scared to wait for anything. Nobody was there waiting with a believing heart. Nobody was there waiting in expectation. Nobody was there waiting in faith. I don't want to miss out because I waited too far away to participate, or with the wrong attitude or hampered by fear. Today is Thursday. "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." (Psalm 27:14)
Year 5; Day 98 Accepted
Everytime I go to the bank to get some American money (which is not that often as the exchange rate is terrible) they ask me if I would like to open an American account that is connected to a credit card. When I use the credit card in the States, it will be paid from the US money in the account and I won't have to pay credit card exchange fees. They made it sound easy and wise and practical. But I never bothered with their pitch until a few weeks ago. I have a trip on the horizon and so I decided to inquire. First of all, I have to keep a minimum balance of $200 US in the account (which at the moment is about $270 CA). Like I have that kind of money to just lie around to hold an account open. Then she told me the free, no fee account was neither free or no fee for me. In order to get those benefits you have to have a certain kind of credit card...like gold, platinum, or some such metal type card. The bank teller looked at me sympathetically as she told me I had none of the "right" ones. It would cost me $35 a year with my lowly card. The bill would have to be paid at the bank or online and by then I realized it probably wasn't for me. I needed extra money and a classier credit card to enjoy the benefits of their US account. I am so thankful when God says that I can come to Him just as I am, He means it. There are no minimum number of good deeds required and no quota for sins, failures, and mistakes. Just come. My credit card wasn't good enough to avail of the privileges other people got. The bank favours their clients who have cards with a higher yearly fee and more usage. I am thankful that is not how God operates. "For God does not show favoritism." (Romans 2:11) What a marvelous statement. What a grand equalizer. What an assurance. He just sees us as people. Not by colour. Not by bank accounts. Not by accolades or failures. There will be no excuses, no exceptions, no allowances and no rankings. His arms are open to each of us. All we need is what each of us can bring if we wish...a repentant heart and a willing spirit. Today is Saturday. I think He longs to have a relationship with each of us because we are each His favourite!
Everytime I go to the bank to get some American money (which is not that often as the exchange rate is terrible) they ask me if I would like to open an American account that is connected to a credit card. When I use the credit card in the States, it will be paid from the US money in the account and I won't have to pay credit card exchange fees. They made it sound easy and wise and practical. But I never bothered with their pitch until a few weeks ago. I have a trip on the horizon and so I decided to inquire. First of all, I have to keep a minimum balance of $200 US in the account (which at the moment is about $270 CA). Like I have that kind of money to just lie around to hold an account open. Then she told me the free, no fee account was neither free or no fee for me. In order to get those benefits you have to have a certain kind of credit card...like gold, platinum, or some such metal type card. The bank teller looked at me sympathetically as she told me I had none of the "right" ones. It would cost me $35 a year with my lowly card. The bill would have to be paid at the bank or online and by then I realized it probably wasn't for me. I needed extra money and a classier credit card to enjoy the benefits of their US account. I am so thankful when God says that I can come to Him just as I am, He means it. There are no minimum number of good deeds required and no quota for sins, failures, and mistakes. Just come. My credit card wasn't good enough to avail of the privileges other people got. The bank favours their clients who have cards with a higher yearly fee and more usage. I am thankful that is not how God operates. "For God does not show favoritism." (Romans 2:11) What a marvelous statement. What a grand equalizer. What an assurance. He just sees us as people. Not by colour. Not by bank accounts. Not by accolades or failures. There will be no excuses, no exceptions, no allowances and no rankings. His arms are open to each of us. All we need is what each of us can bring if we wish...a repentant heart and a willing spirit. Today is Saturday. I think He longs to have a relationship with each of us because we are each His favourite!
Year 5; Day 99 Praise the Lord
I have been trying to read God's Word more slowly and have a more open heart to instruction. It sounds easier than it is. Sometimes I don't get very far but maybe that's not the point. The other day I read Psalm 103. Verse 1 says, "Praise the Lord, Of my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name." I have heard, read, and had read that verse many times over my life. But the other day it stopped me and then it stayed with me and yesterday I looked up a few words in a Bible concordance. The Hebrew word for praise (bless in the KJV) means to kneel in an act of adoration. I haven't used the word "adore" very much. Do I adore the Lord? I love Him. But does my love have a level of adoration to it? "Praise the Lord, O my soul;..." My soul: that which breathes, the inner being, self, person, passion, desire, emotion, appetite. Praise is not superficial. It isn't a few words that roll off the tongue or a casual session of pat phrases. It is from deep within...from my soul...from the place that represents me and all I am. "Praise the Lord, Of my soul; all my inmost being..." The King James Version renders that last phrase, "and all that is within me". I don't know if I have ever praised the Lord "with all that is within me." I have ranted to the Lord with all that is within me. I have certainly cried to the Lord with all that is within me. But praised Him? With an adoration that welled up from the innermost part of me? With an adoration that was undivided in attention and intent? I have had and often have a grateful heart. I have much to be thankful for. But a lot of my praise comes from the external...the things I have...life, environment, family, friends, church, quilting. But the Psalmist's praise comes from relationship. His relationship with the Lord is so deep, so personal, and the benefits so overwhelming, that it causes him to fall on his knees and pour out words of adoration, love and appreciation from the very center of his being with singleness of thought and emotion and purpose. That's what I want. Not what I have...yet. But what I want. And what I intend to get. Today is Sunday. Am I willing to put the effort into the relationship to get there? I know He is.
I have been trying to read God's Word more slowly and have a more open heart to instruction. It sounds easier than it is. Sometimes I don't get very far but maybe that's not the point. The other day I read Psalm 103. Verse 1 says, "Praise the Lord, Of my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name." I have heard, read, and had read that verse many times over my life. But the other day it stopped me and then it stayed with me and yesterday I looked up a few words in a Bible concordance. The Hebrew word for praise (bless in the KJV) means to kneel in an act of adoration. I haven't used the word "adore" very much. Do I adore the Lord? I love Him. But does my love have a level of adoration to it? "Praise the Lord, O my soul;..." My soul: that which breathes, the inner being, self, person, passion, desire, emotion, appetite. Praise is not superficial. It isn't a few words that roll off the tongue or a casual session of pat phrases. It is from deep within...from my soul...from the place that represents me and all I am. "Praise the Lord, Of my soul; all my inmost being..." The King James Version renders that last phrase, "and all that is within me". I don't know if I have ever praised the Lord "with all that is within me." I have ranted to the Lord with all that is within me. I have certainly cried to the Lord with all that is within me. But praised Him? With an adoration that welled up from the innermost part of me? With an adoration that was undivided in attention and intent? I have had and often have a grateful heart. I have much to be thankful for. But a lot of my praise comes from the external...the things I have...life, environment, family, friends, church, quilting. But the Psalmist's praise comes from relationship. His relationship with the Lord is so deep, so personal, and the benefits so overwhelming, that it causes him to fall on his knees and pour out words of adoration, love and appreciation from the very center of his being with singleness of thought and emotion and purpose. That's what I want. Not what I have...yet. But what I want. And what I intend to get. Today is Sunday. Am I willing to put the effort into the relationship to get there? I know He is.